Department for Transport

Motorways: Speed Limits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many motorists were fined as a result of motorway average speed cameras in each year since 1985 for which figures are available; and how much was collected in fines in each such year.

Andrew Jones: Highways England does not hold information on how many motorists were fined as a result of motorway average speed cameras, nor how much were collected in fines, as they are not an enforcement agency. Enforcement is undertaken by the respective police forces.

London City Airport

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what account he plans to take of the construction of C-Series planes by Bombardier in Northern Ireland in any decision on London City Airport accommodating  C-Series or similar planes on its proposed new taxiway.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Ministers have a statutory role in the planning process with regard to transport related planning applications raised on appeal. It would therefore be seen as prejudicial, to comment on or discuss, matters relating to London City airport that are subject to a planning inquiry.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Industrial Disputes

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether revenue risk on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise will be borne by the franchisee or the public purse in the event of industrial action.

Claire Perry: The Govia Thameslink Railway franchise was let on the basis that farebox revenue belongs to the Department, therefore any risk and opportunity in relation to passenger revenue resides with the Department, including in the event of strike action.

Cycling: Australia

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government's response on the e-petition entitled, To introduce a permanent, minimum passing distance when overtaking cyclists, what assessment his Department is planning of cycle passing spaces in South Australia and by when he plans to complete that assessment.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The introduction of a legally enforceable minimum passing distance between cyclists and other vehicles in South Australia is relatively recent. As a result, there is limited information available regarding the impacts both positive and negative following this change in the law. As with other changes of this type introduced overseas, we remain interested in the change and are keeping it under review. The Highway Code already has a requirement for motorists to give cyclists plenty of room when overtaking.

Electric Vehicles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure electric car charging points are accessible across the UK.

Andrew Jones: Plug-in vehicles are generally charged at home and overnight, and so the Government provides grants of up to £500 for the installation of domestic chargepoints. More than 60,000 have been installed to date. The UK also has over 11,000 publicly accessible chargepoints; in streets, car parks and motorway service areas. This includes almost 900 rapid chargepoints that can charge a car in 20-30 minutes – the largest network in Europe. The Department’s Roads Investment Strategy includes funding of £15m to improve the network of chargepoints on the strategic road network, and the Go Ultra Low city scheme is expected to deliver around 750 more publicly accessible chargepoints in UK towns and cities by 2020. We will announce further targeted support for plug-in vehicle chargepoints in due course. Government-funded chargepoints must meet a minimum common standard for chargepoint outlets, and include ‘pay as you go’ functionality.

Bus Services: Disability

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 16942, for what reason his Department does not publish statistics on the number of buses in England that are fitted with audio-visual systems; and whether the Buses Bill will make provision to do so.

Andrew Jones: The Department’s annual survey of local bus operators was amended in 2013/14 to include a question on the number of buses providing audio/visual information. In line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, statistics should be produced to a level of quality that meets users’ need. To date, the statistics relating to this question have not been published by the Department because of concerns about the robustness of the data. The Department, as part of it’s statistical quality management process, will take steps to improve the quality of the audio/visual data. Once these quality concerns are met so that what is produced does not risk misleading users, the Department will look to publish the information, in line with the majority of data collected through the local bus survey. The Government, therefore, does not consider it necessary to legislate on this issue through the Bus Services Bill.

Bus Services: Concessions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 29991, what estimate he made of the total amount local authorities have spent on delivering concessionary bus fares since 2011.

Andrew Jones: Figures for net current expenditure on concessionary travel in England between 2011-12 and 2014-15 (the latest for which data is available) are available in Table BUS0811b which is published on the Department’s statistics page on the GOV.UK website. The total net current expenditure refers to expenditure on all aspects of concessionary travel, including the statutory bus concession for older and disabled people, discretionary concessions, youth concession schemes and administrative costs.

A14: Speed Limits

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he made of the (a) time and (b) financial cost to motorists and road hauliers of the 40mph limit on the A14 for recent road improvement works.

Andrew Jones: The work on the A14 involved replacing central reserve safety barriers, necessitating a 40mph speed limit restriction for safety reasons whilst the barrier remained incomplete. As this was essential safety work Highways England did not carry out an assessment of the delay costs.

Foreign investment in UK: North East

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of airport expansion at (a) Heathrow and (b) Gatwick Airport on the level of foreign direct investment to the North East.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report. The Government is not providing a running commentary on this work and nor would it be appropriate to outline specific pieces of evidence before an announcement. Any work to inform an announcement will be set out in subsequent publications and associated consultation.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in (a) sustainable aircraft fuels and (b) other renewable technology.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK wants to ensure that the aviation sector makes a significant and cost-effective contribution to reducing global emissions. The Government supports a range of measures to achieve this, including the use of sustainable alternative fuels, technological improvements to aircraft, operational improvements in air traffic management, and market-based measures. Sustainable fuels have an important role to play in reducing carbon emissions from transport, particularly in sectors where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation such as aviation. We are assessing the benefits of making sustainable aviation fuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to publish a consultation on legislative amendments to the RTFO later this year including proposals for aviation biofuels.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to include producers of aviation fuel within the ambit of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport are assessing the benefits of making sustainable aviation biofuel eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to publish a consultation on legislative amendments to the RTFO later this year including proposals for aviation biofuels.

Horse Riding: Bridleways and Roads

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the safety of and access for horse riders on roads and bridlepaths.

Andrew Jones: The Department takes every opportunity to remind motorists of their responsibilities towards vulnerable road users - including horse riders - through publications such as the Highway Code and THINK! Road Safety campaigns. THINK! officials are currently working with the British Horse Society following their recently launched ‘Dead Slow’ campaign. Plans for the summer include publicity on TV, radio, online and social media advising motorists on how to pass horses safely. We do not provide advice on access to bridleways, as this falls within the remit of Natural England (a non-departmental public body).

Driving Instruction: Motorways

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to launch the Government's proposed consultation on changing the law to allow learner drivers to drive on motorways with instructors.

Andrew Jones: The Government expects to launch a consultation on proposals to allow learner drivers to drive on motorways, with an approved driving instructor in a car that has dual controls, later this year.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of potholes that have been filled from the Pothole Action Fund since November 2015.

Andrew Jones: The Pothole Action Fund is worth £250 million over the next five years to local highway authorities in England, outside London, and enough to repair up to more than 4 million potholes. On 7 April 2016, the Government announced the share each local highway authority will receive from the £50 million available for 2016/17. Further details, including the share of the funding allocated to each local highway authority, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cash-for-councils-to-fill-almost-1-million-potholes It is for each local highway authority to determine how this funding is spent based on their needs and priorities. This funding is in addition to just under £6 billion the Government is providing to local highway authorities for local highway maintenance in England, outside London.

Public Transport: Guide Dogs

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to make public transport more accessible for people with guide dogs.

Andrew Jones: The Department is committed to building transport networks which work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same opportunities to travel as other members of society. From the 1st January this year all single deck buses designed to carry over twenty two passengers on local and scheduled routes have had to comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), which require vehicles to include contrasting handrails, priority seating and other features of benefit to visually impaired people. At least one priority seat on each bus must have sufficient space to accommodate an assistance dog with its owner. Double deck buses must comply with PSVAR by the 1st January 2017. Positive interactions with staff can also give visually impaired people the confidence to use bus services. We are working with Mott MacDonald to review disability awareness training from across the transport sector, and to produce best practice guidance by the end of 2016, to help equip bus drivers with the skills and knowledge they need to provide disabled passengers with a first class service.

Department for Transport: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The requested information is not recorded in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. My department follows the Government Buying Standard for food and catering to be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418072/gbs-food-catering-march2015.pdf.

Bus Services: Disability

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 16941, on bus services: disability, what the different potential solutions for achieving better audio-visual information on buses are; and what steps he is taking to achieve better audio-visual information on buses.

Andrew Jones: Accessible on-board information helps many people to feel more confident in taking the bus, safe in the knowledge that they will know when to alight. The technology for providing information on upcoming stops is evolving, and recent trials have tested lower cost alternatives to traditional systems, wearable devices and smartphone applications. The Department is supportive of such initiatives, and continues to review the options available, encouraging the bus industry to take the lead in recognising the potential benefits for all passengers and in delivering improvements in accessible on-board information.

Transport

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish a draft of the Modern Transport Bill announced in the Queen's Speech.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The final date for the introduction of the Modern Transport Bill will be announced in due course.

Driverless Vehicles: EU Action

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the implications are for the UK's autonomous vehicle technology industry of the Declaration of Amsterdam signed by Transport Ministers on 14 April 2016.

Andrew Jones: The Declaration of Amsterdam aims to encourage the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) through setting the strategic agenda for the discussion on CAVs and ensuring interoperability is discussed at an early stage in the development process. The declaration, which is supported by the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders made specific calls to industry, asking them to work with government to highlight the barriers for deployment, and develop the technologies with interoperability in mind.

Driverless Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the UK's existing (a) road infrastructure and (b) skills in the workforce for the anticipated rise in the number of autonomous vehicles.

Andrew Jones: Autonomous vehicles could potentially have significant impacts on congestion, safety, and efficiency. The Government recognises that this is an important issue and needs to be better understood to properly inform long-term policy and investment decisions. For this reason, the Department for Transport is currently engaging with interested parties and conducting research and development to understand the specific requirements on the road infrastructure needed for the deployment of these technologies. The Transport Systems Catapult is developing a report on current and future skills for the fast-growing Intelligent Mobility sector, which includes autonomous vehicles. This report will be complete in early summer. This work is ongoing, and forms part of a much wider programme of research and development that the Government is supporting to examine the issues associated with these technologies.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on improving road-side facilities for hauliers on the strategic road network.

Andrew Jones: Since the beginning of the year Transport Ministers and DfT officials have received five letters from MPs and six letters from the public calling specifically for an improvement in roadside facilities for hauliers. I have asked officials to see what can be done to work with the industry to improve the provision and quality of roadside facilities.

Cycling: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department plans to spend on cycling in each year from 2016 to 2021.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department’s spending on cycling programmes is stated in the table below. Programme2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21Total Cycling£185.2m£202.6m£119.0m£93.0m£58.7m£658.5mThe totals shown above include the Department’s core cycling programmes plus spending by local bodies on cycling projects using sums from within current Local Growth Fund and the Integrated Transport Block allocations. Not all of the Local Growth Fund is currently allocated, so as future allocations of the Local Growth Fund are made to Local Enterprise partnerships, the amount supporting cycling projects through to 2020/21 is likely to rise. In addition to the above, from within the record £6 billion allocated to local highways authorities between 2015 and 2021 for road maintenance, this funding can help maintain footways cycleways. Further, from 2018/19 the plan is to change the formula used to allocate local highways maintenance capital funding so that it also takes into account footways and cycleways as well as the roads, bridges and street lighting, which it is currently based on. Once implemented, around 9% of the funding will be based on footway and cycleway lengths.

Walking: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department plans to spend on walking in each year from 2016 to 2021.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department’s spending on walking programmes is stated in the table below. Programme2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21Total Walking£97.0m£89.8m£69.3m£44.5m£23.3m£323.9mThe totals shown above include the Department’s Sustainable Transport Transition Year and Access Fund plus spending by local bodies on walking projects using sums from within current Local Growth Fund and Integrated Transport Block allocations. Not all of the Local Growth Fund is currently allocated, so as future allocations of the Local Growth Fund are made to Local Enterprise Partnerships, the amount supporting walking projects through to 2020/21 is likely to rise. In addition to the above, from within the record £6 billion allocated to local highways authorities between 2015 and 2021 for road maintenance, this funding can help maintain footways cycleways. Further, from 2018/19 the plan is to change the formula used to allocate local highways maintenance capital funding so that it also takes into account footways and cycleways as well as the roads, bridges and street lighting, which it is currently based on. Once implemented, around 9% of the funding will be based on footway and cycleway lengths.

Rapid Transit Systems: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the £40 million that was allocated to the Supertram scheme for Leeds that was cancelled in 2005 was spent.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the £68 million that was allocated to the the New Generation Trolleybus scheme for Leeds was spent.

Claire Perry: The Department of Transport did not provide any funding for the Leeds Supertram or Leeds New Generation Trolleybus schemes. Any expenditure committed so far is the responsibility of the promoters - West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Council.

Cycling: Railways

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to better connect cycling and rail infrastructure to support more active travel.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department is funding £14.3 in 16/17 to improve integration between cycle and rail through the provision of new cycle facilities at railway stations. This includes new high quality cycle parking, cycle hire and improved access to stations and will support more active travel. In conjunction with this, a revised version of the Cycle Rail Toolkit was published on 19 May 2016 which will help those implementing cycle-rail facilities to ensure that high-quality infrastructure is in place to encourage new users and to ensure that cycling to stations becomes easy and convenient and the natural choice for short trips to the station.

Vauxhall

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct Vauxhall to extend the vehicle safety recall of Zafira B models to include those equipped with automatic climate control.

Andrew Jones: There are no plans to tell Vauxhall to extend the vehicle safety recall of Zafira B models to include those equipped with automatic climate control. The secondary safety recall (R/2016/104) affects only Vauxhall Zafira B vehicles equipped with a manual control heating and ventilation system.Vauxhall Zafiras fitted with automatic climate control use a different resistor pack that is not affected by manipulation or degradation, so their inclusion in the safety recall is unnecessary.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Regulation

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the regulation of drones to protect the public from their misuse.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given on 9 May 2016 UIN 36085 regarding the regulations addressing the criminal use of drones, and to my answer given on 9 May 2016 UIN 36086 regarding privacy. The Government is planning to consult on a range of measures on drones over the summer, and will then seek any further appropriate legislative measures through the Modern Transport Bill.

Department for Transport: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many visits (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Ministers and officials regularly undertake a variety of visits to all areas of the country. To ascertain precisely how many visits may have been made over the specified time period would incur a disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Mexico: Religious Freedom

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he made and received during his visit to Mexico in May 2016 on upholding the right to freedom of religion or belief in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised human rights and the rule of law in meetings with the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Education, Social Development and the Attorney General. Discussions focused on the significant security and justice challenges Mexico faces, particularly in terms of impunity. He also raised concerns relating to the disappearance of 43 students in Iguala in September 2014. He did not raise freedom of religion or belief on this occasion. I also raised our human rights concerns with the Minister for Public Administration during his visit to London on 12 May. Our Embassy in Mexico regularly discusses the full range of human rights and rule of law issues, including freedom of religion and belief, with Mexican counterparts and civil society.

EU Staff: British Nationality

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals were employed by the European Parliament in each year since 2010; and how many such people were employed at administrator grade.

Mr David Lidington: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



The European Parliament does not publish statistics on numbers of permanent staff by nationality. According to our own records, the total the numbers of UK nationals employed by the European Parliament in each year since 2010 is:2010: 2902011: 3062012: 3062013: 2912014: 2712015: 251The latest figure available is for May 2016 and is 263.

EU Staff: British Nationality

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals were employed by the European Commission in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



Whilst the European Commission provides staffing numbers by nationality they do not break them down between permanent and temporary agents. In total the numbers of UK nationals employed by the European Commission in each year since 2010 is:April 2010: 1284April 2011: 1162April 2012: 1134April 2013: 1079April 2014: 1053April 2015: 1008The latest figure available is for Feb 2016 and is 982.UK representation has been falling across EU institutions as UK officials retire and are not replaced by the same number of new UK entrants. The Government is committed to reversing this picture, recognising that this will require a sustained effort. The EU Staffing Unit, established in April 2013, promotes EU careers across the UK and supports candidates through the application process. It has increased secondments in positions of strategic importance to the UK. The European Fast Stream within the Civil Service has also been re-launched.

Bangladesh: Religious Freedom

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to engage with international partners to tackle the persecution of secularists or of people with no faith in Bangladesh.

Mr Hugo Swire: As I said to the House on 24 May, there is more we can do to help the Government of Bangladesh to tackle the challenges they face. I raised my concerns about the situation there most recently with the Bangladesh High Commissioner on 24 May.Our High Commission in Dhaka regularly meets international partners to discuss the treatment of secular activists and minority groups in Bangladesh. Most recently, on 22 May, our High Commissioner met Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali, with other EU Ambassadors, to discuss signs that intolerance across Bangladesh is increasingIn September 2015, officials from the British High Commission in Dhaka met Heiner Bielefeldt, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, during his visit to Bangladesh. We urge the Government of Bangladesh to implement the recommendations in his report, which includes a call for the government to “protect the vibrant civil society and pluralistic society in Bangladesh”.

Sudan: Human Rights

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the reported raid of Nabil Adib's office by Sudan's national security and intelligence services and the alleged assault and arrest of people in that office.

James Duddridge: The International Federation for Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture and African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies have all reported on the alleged raid on Nabil Adib’s office on 5 May. We have raised our concerns about this case directly with the Government of Sudan, most recently during the visit of the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan on 11 to 12 May. We will continue to monitor this case closely.

Egypt: Counter-terrorism

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of Egypt's compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law in its counter-terrorism operations in Sinai.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made a formal assessment. In 2015 we shared NATO counterinsurgency doctrine with the Egyptian Government and we hope to discuss this further with them, through a planned upcoming Egyptian visit to the UK Centre for counterinsurgency doctrine.

EU Staff: British Nationality

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals have been on the staff of the European Commission in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: Holding answer received on 26 May 2016



Whilst the European Commission provides staffing numbers by nationality they do not break them down between permanent and temporary agents. In total the numbers of UK nationals employed by the European Commission in each year since 2010 is:April 2010: 1284April 2011: 1162April 2012: 1134April 2013: 1079April 2014: 1053April 2015: 1008The latest figure available is for Feb 2016 and is 982.UK representation has been falling across EU institutions as UK officials retire and are not replaced by the same number of new UK entrants. The Government is committed to reversing this picture, recognising that this will require a sustained effort. The EU Staffing Unit, established in April 2013, promotes EU careers across the UK and supports candidates through the application process. It has increased secondments in positions of strategic importance to the UK. The European Fast Stream within the Civil Service has also been re-launched

EU Staff: British Nationality

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals have been on the staff of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU in each year since 2010; and what proportion of such staff in each such year were of administrator grade.

Mr David Lidington: Holding answer received on 26 May 2016



The General Secretariat of the Council of the EU does not publish statistics on numbers of permanent staff by nationality. According to our own internal records, the total numbers of UK nationals employed by the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, including secondees, in each year since 2010 are:2010: 159 (98 at AD) 2011: 100 (50 at AD)2012: 99 (52 at AD)2013: 91 (56 at AD)2014: 87 (55 at AD)2015: 93 (56 at AD)The latest figure available is for May 2016 and is 101 (62 at AD).

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Energy: EU Law

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings he has had with the European Commissioner for Competition on EU state aid rules and support for energy-intensive industries.

Anna Soubry: Over the past year, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has met and called several times with Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition, to discuss EU state aid rules and energy-intensive industries. I as Minister of State for Business, Industry and Enterprise attended the energy intensive industries high level stakeholder conference in Brussels in February. Senior officials from the Department have also had regular meetings with Commission Competition officials to discuss these issues.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the Materials Processing Institute to the development of a modern British steel industry.

Anna Soubry: The Government is exploring all options to support steel and the foundation industries. We are interested to consider how we can develop the best way forward for the UK industry alongside all parties with steel expertise, including the Materials Processing Institute.

British Business Bank

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the British Business Bank's (a) total operating budget, (b) budget for  communications and (c) expenditure on third party communications consultancy and public relations agencies was in (i) 2014, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2016.

Anna Soubry: The British Business Bank is a government-owned economic development bank that makes finance markets for smaller businesses work more effectively. It works with the market to increase awareness amongst smaller businesses about the available finance options.British Business Bank became fully operational on 1 November 2014. Therefore we are able to provide the information requested for the 5 month period ended 31 March 2015 and the 12 month period ended 31 March 2016. This is shown in the table below. Total Operating Budget in £000(a)Budget for Communications in £000 (b)Expenditure on 3rd Party Communications, Consultancy & PR agencies in £000 (c)5 months ended 31 March 20159,60628028012 months ended 31 March 201623,207895466 *Please note that the Budget for Communications (b) includes salary related costs and Expenditure on 3rd Party Communications Consultancy and PR Agencies (c) does not.

UK Trade and Investment

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what UK Trade and Investment's total (a) operating budget, (b) communications budget and (c) expenditure on third party communications consultancy and public relations agencies was in (i) 2014, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2016.

Anna Soubry: UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) total (a1) operating budget, (b) communications budget and (c) expenditure on third party communications consultancy and public relations agencies in (i) 2014, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2016 was as follows in the table below. We have also provided additional figures (a2) to reflect UKTI total associated operating costs which were allocated by parliament to UKTI’s parent departments, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills prior to 2015/16. These costs have been increasingly consolidated into UKTI operating budget over the last two years:  2013/14(£m)2014/15(£m)2015/16 (£m)A1166.4271.9343.0A2209.690.4- 376.0362.3343.0B12.64.14.1C0.53.81.4

Department for Education

English Baccalaureate: Arts

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what impact assessment was conducted to identify the consequences of not including arts in the English Baccalaureate.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s ambition is that at least 90% of pupils in mainstream secondary schools will enter GCSEs in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects of English, maths, science, history or geography, and a language.The EBacc has been designed to be limited in size to provide a rigorous academic core whilst leaving space in the curriculum for other subjects. On average, pupils in state-funded schools enter nine GCSEs and equivalent qualifications, rising to more than ten for more able pupils.[1] For many pupils, taking the EBacc will mean taking seven GCSEs; and for those taking triple science, it will mean taking eight. This means that there will continue to be room to study other subjects, including arts subjects. A good foundation in the EBacc subjects helps to keep options open for work and further study.Since the EBacc was first introduced the proportion of pupils in state-funded schools taking at least one GCSE in an arts subject has increased, rising from 46 per cent in 2011 to 50 per cent in 2015.On 3 November 2015 the Secretary of State for Education launched a public consultation seeking views on the government’s proposals for the implementation of the English Baccalaureate.[2] The consultation closed on 29 January 2016 and the government’s response will be published in due course.[1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=phase&geographic=all&region=0&phase=secondary&for=Key%20stage%204%20performance&basedon=Exam%20entries&show=All%20pupils&&schoolTypeFilter=allSchools [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-the-english-baccalaureate

Cooperative Trust Schools

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to encourage the establishment of co-operative schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s ambition is to provide an excellent education for all, through an autonomous, self-improving system. Good co-operative schools with strong governance are and will continue to be a part of this system.As increasing numbers of schools are opting to become academies, we have worked with the Society for Co-operative Schools (SCS) to update our model articles of association for co-operative trusts. This will ensure that co-operative schools are able to convert to academy status and form multi-academy trusts (MATs) using a model based on robust governance structures that also reflects co-operative principles.The new co-operative model articles will be published shortly.

Primary Education: Class Sizes

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Key Stage 1 children in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley local authority area and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber were in classes of more than 35 children in the academic year beginning September (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2013, (iv) 2014 and (v) 2015.

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Key Stage 1 children in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber were in classes of more than 30 children in the academic year beginning September (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2013, (iv) 2014 and (v) 2015.

Nick Gibb: Information about the number of pupils in infant classes with more than 30 pupils is available at school level in the underlying data of the ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistics.[1]Information on class sizes for the academic year beginning September 2015 is not yet available and is due to be released in June 2016.[1] Data from January 2011 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2011 in the file called ‘School_level_classes_2011’ within the underlying data downloadData from January 2012 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012 in the file called ‘School_level_classes_2012’ within the underlying data downloadData from January 2013 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013 in the file called ‘School_level_classes_2013’ within the underlying data downloadData from January 2014 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014 in the file called ‘SFR15_2014_school_level_classes_UD’ within the underlying data download.Data from January 2015 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015 in the file called ‘SFR16_2015_Schools_Classes_UD’ within the underlying data download.

Schools: Admissions

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that parents will retain the right to remain anonymous from the school in question when they object to a schools admission arrangements under the School Admissions Code after the forthcoming review of that code.

Nick Gibb: Regulations allow the Schools Adjudicator to withhold the name and address of a person making an objection to a school’s admission arrangements from the other parties to that objection. We have no plans to change this.

Private Education: Standards

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools founded since 2015 are compliant with section 5 of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010 were replaced by the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, which came into force on 5 January 2015.58 fee paying independent schools have been registered since 1 January 2015. Not all of these have been inspected since registration. The normal procedure is for an independent school to be inspected in their first year of operation.14 schools have had a standard inspection since registration, and two schools have had material change inspections. Three of the standard inspections do not yet have a report available due to them having taken place very recently.Of the 11 inspection reports available, only one shows a failure to meet standard 5.All schools will have been inspected prior to registration and judged likely to meet all of the standards. Schools are not permitted to register unless the Secretary of State is satisfied that the school is likely to meet all of the standards on registration.

Private Education: Standards

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many enforcement actions have been initiated by her Department for contravention of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010 section 5 since 2015.

Nick Gibb: The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010 were replaced by the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, which came into force on 5 January 2015 and set out more demanding standards that independent schools must meet. Standard 5 places requirements on schools on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.The Department commissions Ofsted or one of the approved independent inspectorates to inspect independent schools and report on whether or not they are meeting the standards. Where a school fails to meet the standards, the Department issues a statutory notice requiring an action plan to rectify the failings. In nearly all cases the school improves to meet the standards and regulatory action can stop. However, in rare cases where a school fails to make the required improvements the Secretary of State can take enforcement action: to impose a relevant restriction or to remove the school from the register of independent schools. More information on how the Department regulates the independent sector is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-independent-schoolsSince 2015, the Secretary of State has taken enforcement action against two fee-paying independent schools for a failure to meet standard 5. Both schools were also failing to meet a number of the other standards.

Science: Teachers

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) physics and (b) chemistry trainee teachers undertook a pre-initial teacher training subject knowledge enhancement course, broken down by subject and length of course, in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



The subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) programme supports universities and schools in filling teacher training places in priority subjects. It enables candidates who have the potential to be excellent teachers to overcome gaps in their subject knowledge that would otherwise mean that they would not be recruited to a teacher training course.Tables 1 and 2 contain the number of trainees (by length of course) registered on SKE courses in chemistry and physics from 2011/12 to 2015/16.Table 1: Physics SKE recruitment for academic years 2011/12 to 2014/15, and claims to date for academic year 2015/16.  Number of trainees Duration of SKE course (weeks)2011/12 [1]2012/13 [1]2013/14 [1]2014/15 [1]2015/16 [2]2187133N/AN/AN/A45362N/AN/AN/A829321611512812556445433216584813271918000012042712232451365449482600131028563420315326054736575043219 Table 2: Chemistry SKE recruitment for academic years 2011/12 to 2014/15, and claims to date for academic year 2015/16. Number of trainees Course duration (weeks)2011/12 [1]2012/13 [1]2013/14 [1]2014/15 [1]2015/16 [2]217283N/AN/AN/A46366N/AN/AN/A8714156161521000140126173695636165219242324201191215246540283639284431042321905107369593172217 [1] Submitted trainee data and accepted claims for the full academic year.[2] Accepted claims as at 6 May 2016. The final 2015/16 data will not be available until after the end of the academic year; however, the number of people using SKE in the current academic year is 59% of last year’s total which, if previous years’ trends apply to the current year, would suggest increased use of SKE compared to 2014/15.

Academies: Uniforms

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department gives to schools which are converting to academy status on whether that school should adopt a new uniform; and what information she holds on the number of schools which have adopted a new uniform when converting to academy status.

Nick Gibb: Decisions on school uniform rest with the academy trust (or the governing body in the case of maintained schools) of each individual school.The Department has published best practice guidance on school uniform for all schools which is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniformThe guidance recommends governing bodies (or the academy trusts) consider the timeframe for introducing a new uniform policy or amending an existing one, taking into account the views of parents and pupils on significant changes to school uniform policy.The Department does not provide specific school uniform guidance to schools converting to academy status or collect information about the number of schools which have adopted a new uniform on conversion to academy status.

Academies: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33136, whether her Department provides guidance to academies on the consultation of local people on admission policies.

Nick Gibb: All state funded schools, including academies, are required to comply with the Statutory School Admissions Code. The Code provides clear guidance on how admission authorities are required to consult on their admission arrangements, including the requirement to consult locally, for a minimum of six weeks, before making any changes to admission arrangements, and where no changes are proposed, the requirement to consult at least once every seven years, to ensure that the admission arrangements continue to meet local need.

Teachers: Vacancies

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on trends in the number of vacancies for teachers in secondary schools in (a) Calderdale, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) England since 2005.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the number of vacancies for full-time teaching posts in state-funded secondary schools in (a) Calderdale local authority and (b) West Yorkshire and (c) England in November 2010 to 2014. Vacancy data is not available on a comparable basis prior to 2010. November 2015 data will be available at the end of June 2016. 20102011201220132014 NumberRateNumberRateNumberRateNumberRateNumberRateCalderdale00.000.010.110.240.6West Yorkshire150.2140.2110.1120.2250.3Source: School Workforce CensusPublished national figures for the full time series is available from Table 14 in the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England’, November 2014 available at the following web link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014

Academies: Performance Standards

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy schools that are currently rated as inadequate have been waiting longer than six months to be re-brokered to another academy sponsor.

Edward Timpson: As at 31 March 2016, there are currently 123 inadequate academies and free schools. The Department does not hold information on the number of academies which are awaiting re-brokerage. Regional Schools Commissioners will work with schools in a number of ways before considering moving them to a new sponsor.

Children: Diseases

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the system of provision of schooling for children being treated for childhood cancer, leukaemia and other serious life-threatening and long-term illnesses.

Nick Gibb: Each local authority has a legal responsibility to arrange education for any child of compulsory school age for whom they are responsible, and whose illness prevents them from attending school.If a child is able to attend school, the school must ensure that arrangements are in place to support them. Statutory guidance applies to maintained schools and academies in supporting pupils at school with medical conditions, this is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/484418/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf

Children: Cancer

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she provides to local authorities, schools and colleges on helping child survivors of cancer and leukaemia to return to education.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education provides statutory guidance for schools and academies about their duties in relation to supporting compulsory school age pupils with medical conditions, including those who are survivors of cancer and leukaemia. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/484418/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdfWe also provide statutory guidance for local authorities to ensure a good education for children who cannot attend school because of health needs, including cancer and leukaemia. Local authorities are responsible for arranging suitable full-time education for children of compulsory school age who, because of such illness, would not receive suitable education without such provision. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269469/health_needs_guidance__-_revised_may_2013_final.pdfWe emphasise in the SEN Code of Practice that long-term health conditions such as cancer are subject to the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. Where they require special educational provision, they are also covered by the SEN definition and duties.

Teachers: Vacancies

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on trends in the number of vacancies for teachers in primary schools in (a) Calderdale, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) nationally since 2005.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the number of vacancies for full-time teaching posts in state-funded primary schools in (a) Calderdale local authority and (b) West Yorkshire and (c) England in November 2010 to 2014. Vacancy data is not available on a comparable basis prior to 2010. Data for November 2015 will be available at the end of June 2016. 20102011201220132014 NumberRateNumberRateNumberRateNumberRateNumberRateCalderdale00.000.000.000.000.0West Yorkshire150.2110.1190.2150.2170.2Source: School Workforce CensusPublished national figures for the full time series is available from Table 14 in the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2014 available at the following web link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014

Teachers: Training

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) mathematics and (b) physics teacher training places have been allocated in each available teacher training route for the 2016-17 school year; and how many of those places allocated have been filled.

Nick Gibb: There are no caps on the number of mathematics and physics trainees that universities, School Direct lead schools and school-centred initial teacher training providers can recruit. We changed the approach to ITT allocations for 2016/17 by not allocating places to individual organisations for postgraduate ITT courses.We will publish the number of trainees starting courses in the 2016/17 academic year when we publish the ITT Census in November 2016.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Employment

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding has been received from the European Social Fund via the National Offender Management Service Co-Financing Organisation to help employer roadshows at HM Prison (a) Sudbury, (b) Drake Hall and (c) Wayland.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding has been received from the European Social Fund via the National Offender Management Service Co-Financing Organisation to help set up and finance The Employers' Forum for Reducing Re-offending.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding HM Young Offender Institution (a) Werrington, (b) Feltham and (c) Cookham Wood has received from the European Social Fund via the National Offender Management Service Co-Financing Organisation in each year since January 2010.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department has received from the European Social Fund to fund the National Offender Management Service Co-Financing Organisation in each year since January 2010.

Andrew Selous: Money received from the European Social Fund (ESF) by the NOMS Co-financing Programme is published in the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts. No ESF funding has been used to finance employer roadshows at Sudbury, Drake Hall and Wayland prisons. Neither has any ESF money been awarded direct to HM Young Offender Institutions Werrington, Feltham or Cookham Wood. It is a condition of any award of core ESF funding to the NOMS Co-financing programme that it has to be spent on front line services for offenders (excluding the administration budget. Because of this, a separate application was made under the Technical Assistance grant to fund, among other things, the setting up and running of the Employers’ Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFRR). The aim of the Technical Assistance grant is to fund services that will support the objectives of the main programme – employability of offenders. The amount spent from the ESF Technical Assistance fund on the EFRR from 2010 to 2015 was £280,403.

Prisons: Discipline

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 20908, on prisons: discipline, how many days were added in each prison establishment as a result of adjudications in 2015.

Andrew Selous: The number of awards of additional days and the number of days given in each prison establishment as a result of adjudications in 2015 can be found in Table 1 attached. For context, the total number of awards and days given in the last 5 years can be found in Table 2 below. Table 2 – Number of instances and days of additional days for all prison establishments (1,2), England and Wales, 2010 - 2015  201020112012201320142015Number of awards where additional days were given13,7888,6909,5379,12510,26513,000Number of days for which additional days were given(2) 247,630147,869153,253134,672156,070215,3481 - Figures relate to all proven adjudications and include suspended and prospective punishments 2 - Figures correspond to the sum of the number of days given for each punishment received after an incident of misbehaviour.   If an offender receives 2 punishments as a result of an assault against a prison officer and each punishment attracts 20 days,   then the offender will have received a total of 40 days of additional daysData Sources and QualityThese figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to   possible errors with data entry and processing.  



Number of Instances 2015
(Excel SpreadSheet, 2.07 MB)

Young Offender Institutions: Discipline

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answers of 25 January 2016 to Question 22862 and of 26 June 2015 to Question 2890, for what reasons additional days were added as a result of adjudications to sentences served by children under the age of 18 in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The table below provides the reasons additional days were added as a result of adjudications to sentences served by children under the age of 18 in each year since 2010.Although youth crime is down, reoffending rates are far too high and the care and supervision of young offenders in custody is not good enough.That is why the Justice Secretary has asked Charlie Taylor to conduct a review of youth justice. He will report back later this year with recommendations on how to improve the treatment of young people in our care.I also plan to appoint a Youth Custody Improvement Board who will work across the youth secure estate in each Secure Training Centre and Young Offender Institution that holds children, including those currently run by NOMS and will look particularly at the safety of young people and behaviour management techniques. Number of awards of additional days, by reasons for juveniles, in all prison establishments, England and Wales,1 2010 - 2015  201020112012201320142015 Number of awards where additional days were given9878108146282208 Violence53506683164145 Escapes or absconds000000 Disobedience or disrespect151115194525 Wilful damage144217147 Unauthorised transactions/possessions1110891816 Other offences5317184115 1 - The figures relate to all proven adjudications and include suspended and prospective punishments   Data Sources and Quality   These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errorswith data entry and processing.

Legal Aid Scheme: Children and Young People

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) children under 18 years of age and (b) young people aged 18 to 24 applied for legal aid under the Exceptional Case Funding Scheme in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) children under 18 years of age and (b) young people aged 18 to 24 were granted legal funding under the Exceptional Case Funding Scheme in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) children under 18 years of age and (b) young people aged 18 to 24(i) applied for legal aid through the Exceptional Case Funding Scheme (ECF) and (ii) were granted ECF in immigration cases in (A) 2013-14, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2015-16.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The purpose of the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme is to provide funding where it is legally needed. It does not provide a general power to fund cases which fall outside the scope of legal aid. Legal aid is a vital part of our justice system, but we cannot escape the continuing need to reduce the deficit. We still have a very generous system - last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, around a quarter of the department’s expenditure. Every ECF application is carefully considered by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis. Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015 FY application receivedUnder 1818-24UnknownApr 2013 - Mar 201455866982Apr 2014 - Mar 20152711667Apr 2015 - Dec 20151318278  1 Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016   2 Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years.   Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, which were granted3, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015 FY application receivedUnder 1818-24UnknownApr 2013 - Mar 201414132Apr 2014 - Mar 20158203Apr 2015 - Dec 20151124023  1 Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016 2 Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years. 3 Granted by 29 February 2016   Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme for immigration cases, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015 FY application receivedUnder 1818-24UnknownApr 2013 - Mar 2014-121332Apr 2014 - Mar 2015143916Apr 2015 - Dec 20151113325   1 Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016 2 Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years.   Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme for immigration cases, which were granted3, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015 FY application receivedUnder 1818-24UnknownApr 2013 - Mar 2014--12Apr 2014 - Mar 2015481Apr 2015 - Dec 20151102212   1 Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016 2 Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years. 3 Granted by 29 February 2016

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Credit: Advertising

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Financial Conduct Authority is taking to enforce rules which prevent misleading advertisement by credit brokers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This Government supports the system of co-regulation and self-regulation, overseen by the independent Advertising Standards Authority and underpinned by consumer protection legislation. This regulatory system is independent of the Government and is ultimately responsible for setting the standards in advertising, ensuring that all adverts, wherever they appear, are legal, decent, honest and truthful. The Government believes the system has worked well, suitably serving consumers and is sufficiently flexible to deal with both technological advances and new evidence.

BBC: Public Opinion

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost to his Department was of commissioning and publishing the report, entitled Research to explore public views about the BBC, published in May 2016.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The cost for this piece of ​independent ​ research was £108,085 excluding VAT.

BBC

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost to his Department was of commissioning and publishing the report, entitled BBC television, radio and online services: An assessment of market impact and distinctiveness, published in March 2016.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The costs ​of ​this ​piece of independent research was £98,900 excluding VAT.

Broadband: Finance

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the funding allocated by Broadband Delivery UK to Fastershire remained unspent at the end of the Phase 1 broadband delivery period.

Mr Edward Vaizey: To date, Fastershire have spent almost £17m of the £18.2m BDUK funding allocation. The project is on track to complete by December 2016.

Department for Work and Pensions

Offenders: Employment

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ex-offenders have been helped into employment in each year since January 2010.

Priti Patel: My department is committed to supporting ex-offenders into employment as a key part of individual rehabilitation and the Government’s prison reform and rehabilitation programme. Information on the total number of ex-offenders helped into employment is not readily available. Prison-leavers who claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) in advance or within 13 weeks of release are mandated onto the Government’s Work Programme. The latest available data shows that between March 2012 when mandation was introduced and the end of December 2015, 8,270 JSA prison-leavers on the Work Programme have achieved a job outcome. The latest data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/work-programme-data-to-december-2015 Administrative data shared between the Ministry of Justice, Department for Work & Pensions and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/experimental-statistics-from-the-2013-moj-dwp-hmrc-data-share These statistics include information on the benefit and employment status of offenders prior to and after their conviction/caution or release from prison.

Jobcentres: Standards

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure that the quality of service is consistent at jobcentres around the country.

Priti Patel: There are comprehensive operational instructions available that all Jobcentres are expected to adhere to. This is monitored through internal checking to ensure processes and the quality of our interaction with claimants meets the required standard. Alongside the checking of results, other sources of data, such as DWP Customer Survey and complaints data, are exploited to ensure services meet the required standard. Continuous improvement is a key factor in our approach and examples include providing coaching/training, improving operations instructions and making better use of technology.

Joint Work and Health Unit

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultations the Joint Work and Health Unit has undertaken with external groups on its work since its creation.

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what workstreams have been established by the Joint Work and Health Unit; and when each such workstream is expected to report.

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress the Joint Work and Health Unit has made on its priority of (a) productivity and growth in the economy, (b) halving the disability employment gap and (c) reducing health inequalities relating to gender, age and geographies; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: The Work and Health Unit has been established to lead the drive for improving work and health outcomes for people with disabilities and long term health conditions, as well as improving prevention and support for people absent from work through ill health and those at risk of leaving the workforce. Since Q1 2014 the number of disabled people in employment has increased by around 365,000 people, with a total of 3.3million disabled people now in work as of Q1 2016. The Unit will build on this progress by improving integration across healthcare and employment services as well as supporting employers to recruit and retain more disabled people and people with long term health conditions. We have set up work-streams focused on delivery workforce, fitness for work, culture change and stakeholder engagement, employers and building the evidence base through developing a ‘test and learn’ approach. We have been seeking and listening to the views of people that use current health, care and employment services, engaging with charities and other stakeholders, to understand what works and what needs to change and will continue to engage at all levels over the coming months. The Work and Health Unit is leading the process for preparing a green paper which will be published later this year that will begin the consultation about how to improve support for people with disabilities and long term health conditions.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with which other EU countries the UK has a bilateral arrangement for the payment of annual uprating of pensions that would remain in force in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

Justin Tomlinson: The terms of the UK’s bilateral social security agreements with EU Member States, some of which date from the 1950s, are generally superseded by EU Regulations.The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. If the result of the referendum is a decision to leave, then the Government will have two years under the Article 50 process to seek to negotiate the terms, including the payment of pensions, of the UK’s exit, with the possibility of extending this time frame with the agreement of the other 27 Member States.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 17583, on child maintenance, for what reason there is a difference between the estimated costs of (a) caseworker activity to review and update Child Support Agency (CSA) arrears and (b) establishing arrears on the CMS system set out in paragraph 93 of the Department's final impact assessment on CSA case closure, dated 10 April 2013, and those supplied in that Answer.

Priti Patel: The estimates given in the answer to question 17583 differ from the figures in the Impact Assessment (£123m) because: i. The actual caseload has been slightly smaller than was forecast at the time of the Impact Assessment andii. There has been improved analysis of the effort required to close cases, informed by the actual experience of closing cases.

Employment Schemes: Mental Illness

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32812, whether the figures provided for sums to be spent annually and in total are additional to each other; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: The 2015 Spending Review agreed funding rising to £130m per year for the Work and Health Programme, focussing support for people with a disability or health condition and the long term unemployed (over 24 months). This figure is separate and in addition to the Prime Minister’s announced plans to provide further support and funding for people with mental health issues to retain or regain employment.

Jobcentres: Lytham St Annes

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36891, whether it is his Department's policy to retain a Jobcentre Plus in Fylde; and for what reasons officials in his Department did not inform the hon. Member for Fylde of his Department's plans to redevelop the Jobcentre Plus at Westmoreland House in Lytham St. Annes.

Priti Patel: The department is in the process of reviewing all of its estates requirements as the current contract for most of the estate comes to an end on 31 March 2018. As building contracts come to an end landlords may explore what options are available to them, including making planning applications. In many cases this will be a sensible commercial decision even if the landlord intends on continuing to let their property to DWP. In this case the landlord of Westmorland House has acted independently of DWP in applying for planning permission. No decision has been made on the future of this Jobcentre Plus.Commercial negotiations are underway on the entirety of our estate at this time and it is not appropriate to comment further on individual sites while negotiations are in progress.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether UK citizens will have automatic right to mutual recognition of pension contributions in EU countries in the event of the UK leaving the EU and prior to the completion of exit negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Stephen Crabb: At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. If the result of the referendum is a decision to leave, the Government would have two years under the Article 50 process to seek to negotiate the terms, including those concerning pensions, of the UK’s exit, with the possibility of extending this time frame with the agreement of the other 27 Member States.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve take-up of the Pension Wise guidance service.

Justin Tomlinson: Since launch, there have been over 2.4 million visits to the Pension Wise website and over 61,000 appointments, with the latest data showing a record number of appointments in March. To drive awareness of the service, Pension Wise has run three national marketing campaigns across TV, radio, print and digital media, the latest of which finished in April 2016. In addition, pension providers are required to signpost to Pension Wise when issuing retirement wake-up packs and Pension Wise guiders engage with local businesses and services to further raise awareness of the service. The Government recognises that people should have the freedom to access information in a way that is suitable to them.

Children: Maintenance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government will extend the payment of child maintenance to the carers of children looked after under a special guardianship order.

Priti Patel: A person caring for a child or children under a Special Guardianship Order is entitled to apply for statutory Child Maintenance if they satisfy the relevant legislative criteria.

Ministry of Defence

Aircraft Carriers

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the then Secretary of State for Defence of 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 291, whether the estimated build and commissioning costs of the two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers remains within the £6.2bn budget.

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether HMS Queen Elizabeth remains on schedule to be handed over and commissioned into the Royal Navy in 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The approved cost of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers is £6.2 billion, as announced by the previous Defence Secretary on 6 November 2013 (Official Report, column 251). Whilst there are cost pressures, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with Industry to drive the programme to remain within the approved cost. We expect the First of Class, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, to be accepted from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance in 2017 and, as reported in the NAO's Major Project Report 2015, the ship remains on schedule to enter service with the Royal Navy in February 2018. We remain on course to undertake Platform Sea Trials in 2017, commence Fixed Wing Flying Trials with the F35B Lightning II in 2018 and deliver Initial Operating Capability (Carrier Strike) in 2020.

HM Treasury

Tax Collection: EU Law

Andrew Stephenson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been collected by other EU countries on behalf of the Government through the Mutual Assistance Recovery Directive in each year since that Directive came into effect.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs has collected from UK citizens through the Mutual Assistance Recovery Directive in each year since that Directive came into effect.

Mr David Gauke: This information is not published by the UK Government or by the EU Commission.

Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33354, who is responsible for (a) initial negotiation and (b) any renegotiation of centrally-supported PF1 and PF2 projects.

Greg Hands: Pursuant to the answer given on 14 April 2016 to PQ UIN 33354, it is the contract parties that are responsible for the initial negotiation or any renegotiations of PFI and PF2 projects.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of annual claims made for (a) tax credits and (b) child benefit by EU nationals who remain in the UK for less than one year in each of the last three years.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the income tax paid each year by EU nationals who remain in the UK for less than one year in each of the last three years.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not available.

Individual Savings Accounts: Young People

Ian Blackford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2016 to Question 37150, what assessment he has made of the effect of new lifetime ISA on changes in the levels of pension savings amongst young people.

Mr David Gauke: The new Lifetime ISA is an additional flexible savings product which will complement pensions to give savers greater freedom and choice to save for the long-term in a way that works for them. With automatic enrolment set to help nine million with their pension, the Government remains committed to supporting people who save in different ways. The Lifetime ISA supports the Government’s ambition to encourage a regular savings habit amongst young people and to create a culture of long-term saving. The Lifetime ISA is a voluntary product. For further information on the costing of this policy, please see page 9 of the Budget 2015 Policy Costings document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508147/PU1912_Policy_Costings_FINAL3.pdf

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Coal Fired Power Stations

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the European Commission on the application of EU state aid rules related to the provision of (a) Supplementary Balancing Reserve and (b) other Black Start ancillary support contracts provided by the National Grid to Eggborough, Fiddler's Ferry and Drax power plants; and if she will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: The Supplementary Balancing Reserve and Black Start services are procured directly by the System Operator, National Grid and the Government has no involvement in the tendering, or award of Supplementary Balancing Reserve or Black Start contracts. As such DECC has not discussed these with the European Commission in relation to their application to State Aid.

Electricity Interconnectors

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the European Commission on EU state aid related to UK interconnector operations.

Amber Rudd: All interconnector projects apply to Ofgem to operate under a regulatory regime. Their regulation is compatible with EU rules and there are no state aid issues

Cabinet Office

Local Government: Iron and Steel

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the level of procurement of British steel by local authorities in the UK.

Matthew Hancock: The Government has not made an assessment of the level of procurement of British steel by local authorities in England and it does not collect or hold this information centrally.Last year Government issued guidance across central government, which sets out how government buyers should source steel for major projects in a more strategic and transparent way. This is underpinned by more detailed guidance explaining how Government departments should take into account the social impacts of competing suppliers as well as environmental factors for certain procurements involving steel.In April 2016, Government announced that the guidance on procuring steel would be extended to the wider public sector. We are working with key stakeholders to take this forward so that we can maximise take-up of the guidance across the wider public sector.As local government procurement policy is a devolved matter, it is for the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to determine how they will conduct any assessment for their local authorities.

Members: Correspondence

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library copies of his letter to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield of 4 May 2016 on local government and ethical procurement.

Matthew Hancock: I will place this correspondence in the Library as requested, following the end of the pre-referendum period.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people in Stafford constituency participated in the National Citizen Service in each of the last two years.

Mr Rob Wilson: I am pleased to report that over 1,200 young people in Staffordshire have participated in NCS over the past two years. The NCS Trust does not collect data at a constituency level. Therefore, the figures below are for the local authority area of Staffordshire:2014 - 465 participants2015 - 738 participants

Anti-corruption Summit: European Parliament Members

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Members of the European Parliament were invited to the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: Eva Joly MEP was invited in an expert capacity and attended one of the panel discussions. Ms Joly is a renowned Franco-Norwegian Judge who joined the High Court of Paris in 1990 as an investigating judge to lead a number of high-profile corruption cases.

Corruption

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what funding the Government provides its Anti-Corruption Tsar to tackle corruption.

Matthew Hancock: The Anti-Corruption Champion co-chairs the Inter Ministerial Group on Anti-Corruption, which oversees the government’s work to tackle corruption domestically and internationallyOfficials from the Cabinet Office provide support to the Group and the Anti-Corruption Champion as part of wider Anti-Corruption work.

Anti-corruption Summit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government's Anti-Corruption Tsar addressed the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what role the Anti-Corruption Tsar had in the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The Anti-Corruption Champion attended the anti-corruption summit on 12 May and hosted a delegate’s breakfast. He also addressed the Tackling Corruption Together conference, organised by civil society and business, and attended a reception for summit delegates at No10 Downing Street the day before. In addition, he had a number of bilateral meetings with some of the delegates.

Corruption: Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what visits the Government's Anti-Corruption Tsar has taken in an official capacity to the British Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies since his appointment to that role.

Matthew Hancock: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office manages the UK's relationship with the Overseas Territories, and the Ministry of Justice manages the relationship with the Crown Dependencies. The Anti-Corruption Champion is in close contact with both departments on those issues that relate to his work.The details of visits will be published in due course.

Corruption: Conferences

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 10 May 2016 to Question 36307, what the total cost was of (a) the Anti-Corruption Summit held on 12 May 2016 and (b) the Tackling Corruption Together Conference held on 11 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The full costs of the preparation and delivery of the Anti-Corruption Summit are still to be confirmed and this information will be made available in due course.

Department of Health

Youth Services: Per Capita Costs

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of the extent of variation between local authorities in their (a) per capita spending on physical activity services and (b) facilities for children and young people.

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of spending by each local authority was allocated to provision of facilities and services for children's and young people's physical activity in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: Information on local authorities’ total spending on physical activity services and facilities for children and young people is not collected centrally. The decision on how much is spent on specific local public health services rests with individual authorities who are best placed to assess local population needs and priorities. Local authorities are required to undertake Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and to develop Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies which must inform local authority commissioning plans.

Blood: Contamination

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the current scheme of discretionary top-up payments provided by the Macfarlane Trust to its beneficiaries will be removed as a result of the Government's proposed changes to its scheme of support for people affected by contaminated blood.

Jane Ellison: The consultation on reforming the current payment schemes for those affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through National Health Service-supplied blood/blood products closed on 15 April. The analyses of responses are still being considered by Ministers and no decisions on changes to the schemes have been taken. An announcement will be made in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he intends to answer the letter to him dated 23 March 2016 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr C Costigan.

Jane Ellison: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health responded to the Rt. hon. Member’s letter of 23 March 2016 on 22 April 2016.

World AIDS Day

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to raise awareness of World AIDS Day before 1 December 2016.

Jane Ellison: In preparation for World AIDS Day 2016 Public Health England (PHE) will publish the annual HIV in the UK situation report and associated data tables in mid-November 2016. This report will include the latest HIV epidemiology for the United Kingdom, providing national and local systems essential information to inform their World AIDS Day 2016 awareness campaigns. Alongside this HIV Prevention England, co-ordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust and commissioned by PHE will provide a national HIV testing campaign ‘HIV Testing week’. This will commence prior to World AIDS Day and run for one week from the 19 November 2016.

Breast Cancer and Heart Diseases: Alcoholic Drinks

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on potential links between moderate alcohol consumption and levels of (a) heart disease and (b) breast cancer.

Jane Ellison: Departmental officials have regular discussions with individuals and organisations, including clinical bodies, in which a wide range of topics are discussed. There have been no meetings specifically to discuss the potential links between moderate alcohol consumption and levels of heart disease and breast cancer. However, the UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) have made an assessment of the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular disease and breast cancer as part of their review of the alcohol guidelines. The advice that the UK CMOs give on how the public can limit their risks from drinking alcohol can be found at Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/health-risks-from-alcohol-new-guidelines

HIV Infection: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total expenditure by the NHS on HIV drugs was in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The indicative spend for NHS England commissioned HIV services for 2014/15 is £539 million. This figure is for the total indicative spend on HIV not just drugs, as it is not possible to extract the spend on HIV drugs alone for 2014/15. Accurate data on spend on HIV drugs from previous years is not available.

Hypnosis: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS uses hypnosis to improve dietary and exercise habits in children.

Jane Ellison: NHS England does not hold this information centrally.

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to encourage people to reduce the symptoms of diabetes using exercise and diet.

Jane Ellison: In March 2016, Public Health England (PHE) launched One You, an integrated social marketing campaign to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health and so help them reduce the risk of conditions such as diabetes. The programme encourages adults in mid-life to make a number of lifestyle changes including taking more exercise, improving diet, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. Additionally, PHE’s Change4Life campaign encourages families across England to “eat well, move more, live longer”. Type 2 diabetes is highlighted in the campaign as a potential health consequence of poor diet and inactivity. NHS England, Public Health England and Diabetes UK have been working together on the Healthier You: the Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP). By 2020, the programme will be made available to up to 100,000 people at risk of diabetes each year across England. Those referred will get tailored, personalised help to reduce their risk including education on healthy eating and lifestyle and bespoke physical exercise programmes.

Dementia

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support innovation in assistive technology for use by people with dementia.

Jane Ellison: Dementia is a key priority for the Government. That is why in February 2015, the Prime Minister launched his Challenge on Dementia 2020. The Government will implement the Prime Minister’s Challenge in full to make sure that dementia care, support, awareness and research are transformed by 2020. As part of the 2020 Challenge, we want to see greater provision of innovative and high quality dementia care, delivered in a way that is personalised and appropriate to the specific needs of the person with dementia, their family and carers. This includes providers incorporating new ideas including technology solutions into everyday practice. We also want to see research on assistive technologies and assisted living, including research on how information and communication technologies can best help people with dementia and carers. The Department and NHS England recently launched seven ‘Test Bed Sites’ in England. These sites will evaluate the real world impact of technologies, testing them together with innovations in how the NHS services are delivered, to improve health and care outcomes. Three of the Test Beds will have a focus on dementia. A number of programmes have been launched to support usage of technology for the benefit of people including those with dementia and their carers. These include: - The Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS) Programme;- A TECS resource for Commissioners; and- The Small Business Research Initiative Healthcare and Regional Innovation Fund initiative.

Lung Diseases

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) improve the provision of care for patients with lung disease and (b) increase funding for research into lung diseases.

Jane Ellison: Respiratory disease is specifically covered in the NHS Outcomes Framework and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published Quality Standards for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and lung cancer setting out the markers of high-quality, cost-effective care. Expenditure by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on research relating to respiratory disease has increased from £15.7 million in 2009/10 to £25.5 million in 2014/15 (the latest available figure). The NIHR has launched a new, open competition for biomedical research centre funding from April 2017 to March 2022. In this competition, a number of clinical areas of particular strategic importance to the health of patients are highlighted including respiratory disease.

Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with NICE on changes to its current methodology for evaluating new drugs.

George Freeman: Departmental officials are in regular contact with officials in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues, including NICE’s methodologies for the assessment of new drugs and other technologies. The Accelerated Access Review is expected to make a series of recommendations which may include reforms to NICE’s processes and methods pathways and mechanisms in connection with innovative treatments.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that when revised UK Chief Medical Officers' Guidelines on keeping health risks from drinking alcohol to a low level, published in January 2016, are communicated to the public they are placed in the context that moderate alcohol consumption can be part of a healthy lifestyle for people that choose to drink.

Jane Ellison: The UK Chief Medical Officers’ alcohol guidelines give the public the latest and most up to date scientific information so that they can make informed decisions about their own drinking. It is however important that the new guidelines are clear and understandable and take into account the responses to the consultation. We will publish the final guidelines and the government response to the consultation as soon as possible.

Emergencies

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 35866, what the capital spend by (a) the Health Protection Agency on its National Incident Coordination Centre in 2011 at Buckingham Palace Gate and (b) Public Health England on its National Emergency Operations Centre in Wellington House was in 2015.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England was established in 2013. Therefore the Department has not been able to specifically identify the historical costs of creating the National Incident Coordination Centre (NICC) in 2011.The works to install the NICC was part of a wider refit of 5th Floor North in Wellington House. The project cost for this refit was £43,000; the cost of installing the NICC cannot be specifically identified.

Obesity: Children

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what account he plans to take of dietary inequality and food insecurity in the planned childhood obesity strategy.

Jane Ellison: Our Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will take steps to ensure that the medical exemption criteria for determining prescription charges is suitable to allow for the changing nature and improving prognosis of many medical conditions.

Alistair Burt: The process for determining entitlement to a medical exemption is suitable for purpose, and takes account of whether someone continues to meet the criteria. We do not have any plans to make any amendments to the list of medical conditions which provide exemption from the prescription charge.

Breastfeeding

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to continue monitoring breastfeeding rates following the abolition of the infant feeding survey; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his policies are of the findings in The Lancet Series on breastfeeding, published in January 2016; and what steps his Department is taking to increase breastfeeding rates.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department were working on breastfeeding in each year from 2010 to 2016.

Ben Gummer: Following the discontinuation of the Infant Feeding Survey, the Department has been exploring with Public Health England (PHE) and other key stakeholders alternative methods and sources of information to monitor the impact of its policy on infant feeding.In future, the Maternity and Children’s Dataset will regularly capture data on breastfeeding initiation and prevalence from all women using NHS services rather than using a survey sample. This means that local service providers and commissioners can have up-to-date (e.g. quarterly) information about outcomes for their local populations, enabling service provision to be more agile, responsive and targeted.The Government is committed to supporting breastfeeding through the Healthy Child Programme. Breastfeeding is also included in the Public Health Outcomes Framework so that the improvements can be tracked, and action taken as needed.Since 2010, we have recruited more than 2,100 additional midwives who will provide women with the information, advice and support they need with breastfeeding. A further 6,000 midwives are in training. There are also 3,400 more health visitors than in 2010.The Department is working with PHE, NHS England and UNICEF to try and encourage women to breastfeed for the first six months, although we recognise that not all mothers choose to or are able to breastfeed.Support and information is currently available to health professionals and parents through NHS Choices, the National Breastfeeding Helpline, UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, the Start4Life Information Service for Parents and local peer support programmes.The Department has not retained a record of how many full-time equivalent staff there were with a specific focus on breastfeeding between 2010 and 2016; breastfeeding policy has always formed part of the larger maternity policy for which the Department has the policy lead. Resources to cover this policy area would have fluctuated according the level of work required at any one time.

Professions: Registration

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that scientists and technicians working in the health sector should be registered with a professional body such as the Science Council.

Ben Gummer: There are no plans to require scientists and technicians working in the health sector to register with a professional body such as the Science Council. While voluntary registration schemes, such as those overseen by the Science Council, provide an important mechanism for assuring the standards of professional staff, it is a matter for individual staff and their employing organisation as to how they make use of the assurance provided by voluntary registration schemes.

Stem Cells: Research

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department invested in research using adult stem cells in 2015.

George Freeman: The information requested is not available. Spending on research is not categorised by specific technology type.

Gastrointestinal System: Drugs

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with (a) Crohn's disease and (b) ulcerative colitis have been treated with biological drugs in each of the last five years.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the extent of access to biological treatments for people with inflammatory bowel disease.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended four different biological drugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the collective term for Crohn’s disease and colitis, for use after the failure of conventional therapies or in patients for whom such therapies are not appropriate. The National Health Service is legally obliged to fund medicines and treatments recommended by NICE's technology appraisals.Although information concerning the exact number of people with IBD who have been treated with biological drugs in each of the last five years is not available, and no specific assessment of access has been made, some data are collected as part of the IBD audit. The IBD audit programme is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership on behalf of NHS England and Wales (with additional funding from Healthcare Improvement Scotland), as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, and carried out by the Royal College of Physicians.The biological therapies part of the IBD audit aims to assess nationally: the efficacy of biological therapies in the treatment of IBD; the safety of biological therapies in the treatment of IBD; and IBD patients' views on their quality of life at defined intervals throughout their use of biological therapies. The latest round of audit findings, published in September 2015, showed treatment continued to be effective and that patients were receiving treatment with biological therapies at earlier stages of disease. More information can be found at the following link:www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/ibd-biological-therapy-audit

Palliative Care: LGBT People

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Advanced Cancer Care Equality Strategy for Gender and Sexual Minorities study in improving palliative and end-of-life care for LGBT people.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to improve palliative and end-of-life care for LGBT people.

Ben Gummer: We are committed to ensuring that everyone who is at, or approaching, the end of life has access to high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Many people already receive excellent end of life care but, as shown by the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) recent review of inequalities in end of life care, A different ending: Addressing inequalities in end of life care, there is clearly more that can be done to ensure that all patients experience good quality care, regardless of their age, gender, race, condition, sexual orientation or gender identity. We welcome the CQC’s review and we will work together with NHS England to use its findings, and those of the ACCESSCare: Advanced Cancer Care Equality Strategy for Sexual Minorities study, when it is published, to inform ongoing work to reduce inequalities in access to care.

Hospitals: Food

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote onsite preparation and cooking of fresh food in hospitals.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) outsourcing of the preparation and cooking of hospital food and (b) the use of cook-chill systems by contractors meet the nutritional standards set within NHS outsourced food contracts.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted of the (a) nutritional values and (b) texture, taste and smell of hospital food prepared using a cook-chill or cook-freeze system.

George Freeman: The Department has worked with NHS England to ensure that food standards are written into the NHS Standard Contract 2016/17, the key document governing the purchase and provision of National Health Services. Irrespective of the food service type, all National Health Service providers are obliged, under the terms of their legally-binding contracts with commissioners, to adhere to the hospital food standards for the National Health Service as recommended by the Hospital Food Standards Panel in August 2014. The recommendations are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-food-standards-for-nhs-hospitals It is for local NHS providers to determine which food service type they use. Whilst the Department has not conducted specific research, the Patient-led Assessments of the Care Environment does include questions relating to:- Compliance with the following food standards relevant to patient nutrition and hydration:― The 10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care, (NHS England)― Nutrition and Hydration Digest, (British Dietetic Association)― Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool or equivalent, (British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition)― Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services, (Defra)― Food quality including taste, texture and temperature- the menu as being approved by a registered dietitian as being capable of providing an appropriate balanced diet for all patients.

Mental Health Services: Out of Area Treatment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to define a target for the number of out-of-area placements for non-specialist mental health care.

Alistair Burt: In April 2016, the Government announced a national ambition to eliminate inappropriate out of area treatments for adult acute inpatient care as a result of local acute bed pressures by 2020/21 at the latest. We expect areas to put in place local action plans and achieve year on year reductions from 2016/17.

Hospitals: Food

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on the effect on levels of food waste in hospitals of changing provision of food from in-house kitchen preparation to a cook-chill or cook-freeze system.

George Freeman: The Department has not conducted research on the subject requested. Data on unserved patient meals was collected through the Estates Returns Information Collection until 2013-14, but it excluded data on waste generated during food production and waste from uneaten patient meals. The question was removed from the 2014-15 collection onwards as the data did not present an accurate picture for all food waste.

Endometriosis

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36176, what steps his Department is taking to support research to develop a non-invasive diagnostic technique for endometriosis.

George Freeman: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including diagnosis of endometriosis. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The Director of the NIHR Diagnostic Evidence Cooperative Oxford, University of Oxford, provided mentorship and methodological expertise to support a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of cancer antigen 125 for endometriosis. This was published in May this year in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if the NHS will distinguish between sexuality and gender identity in the collection of data for people accessing Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services.

Alistair Burt: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies dataset does not currently make the distinction between sexuality and gender identity. The dataset has two fields that may be of relevance to this question: Sexual orientation, which is the current sexual orientation of a person and has the following valid codes:1Heterosexual2Homosexual Gay/Lesbian3Bi-sexual4Person asked and does not know or is not sure9UnknownZNot stated (Person asked but declined to provide a response) Gender, which is the current gender of a person. Note that the classification is phenotypical rather than genotypical; i.e. it does not provide codes for medical or scientific purposes. It has the following valid codes:0Not known1Male2Female9Not specified

Mental Health Services: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has plans to encourage mental health providers to use social technology as a part of therapeutic treatments for young people.

Alistair Burt: Future in Mind suggests there is a need to incentivise self-care by designing mental health apps targeted at children and young people to strengthen resilience, support and individual capacity for self-care. This has been achieved by establishing a children and young people’s category within the new NHS England Innovation fund for mental health to develop apps for cognitive behavioural therapy and self-harm and suicide prevention, amongst others. In conjunction with this work we are also assessing the potential need for quality assurance controls for mental health apps. The Department is currently considering providing access to both high quality and reliable information and support online through a national branded portal established on NHS Choices.

Social Networking and Technology: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) mental and (b) physical health risks to young people of social media and technology.

Alistair Burt: The Department has made no formal assessment of the risks to mental or physical health presented to young people by social media and related technologies. However, the Department, working with Xenzone (a provider of online counselling services) has funded the development of an online risk module for health professionals, designed to give them an understanding of the digital world, so that they can learn to distinguish between ‘normal online behaviour’ and potentially dangerous activity.The Department has commissioned the Health and Social Care Information Centre to carry out a survey of the mental health of children and young people. Public consultation on the content of that survey called for the inclusion of questions on the impact that social media may be having on the mental health of children and young people. A national report on the findings of the survey will be published in 2018, the first such survey since 2004.The clearest physical health risk arises from the fact that children and young people who spend long periods online are not exercising during that time. The four Home Country Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) published United Kingdom-wide guidelines for the amount of physical activity required across the life-course (including children and young people) in July 2011. The CMOs also included advice to restrict sedentary behaviour (long periods of sitting) including use of computers, for all age groups.

Palliative Care

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were subject to do not resuscitate orders in the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Gummer: This information is not collected centrally.

Palliative Care

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to district nurses on discussing do not resuscitate orders with patients and next of kin.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to hospitals on discussing do not resuscitate orders with patients and next of kin.

Ben Gummer: The Department has not itself issued guidance on this subject, but has commended to National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts guidance for healthcare professionals prepared jointly by the British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing entitled Decisions relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The latest version of the guidance was published in October 2014 and took account of the Court of Appeal’s judgment, handed down in June 2014, in the case of R (on the application of Tracey) v (1) Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2) Secretary of State for Health. The Court of Appeal concluded that there was duty to consult a patient, or those close to the patient, about a Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation decision unless that consultation is likely to cause physical or psychological harm to the patient.

Doctors: Performance Appraisal

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the annual cost to the NHS of General Medical Council appraisals.

Ben Gummer: In November 2012, the Department published an analysis of the costs and benefits of medical revalidation in England: “Medical Revalidation – Costs and Benefits”. This estimated that revalidation would result in additional costs of £97 million per year in England, over the ten-year period starting in 2013.

Clinical Trials

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent guidance his Department published to commissioners on meeting excess treatment costs for clinical trials.

George Freeman: In November 2015, NHS England published new guidance to help clarify the rules and expectations on the funding of excess treatment costs incurred during a non-commercial research study. The guidance is provided for clinical commissioning groups and commissioners of specialised services.

Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what methodology and data NHS England plans to use to determine which services it will commission at the specialised commissioning prioritisation process in June 2016.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many services which have been approved by NHS England's Clinical Priorities Advisory Group are planned for discussion at the NHS England prioritisation round in June.

George Freeman: The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) will agree recommendations as to which proposals for new investments in specialised services should be considered by NHS England in the prioritisation round for 2016/17. CPAG is scheduled to meet between 6 and 9 June 2016. NHS England is currently considering the outcome of a public consultation that it held between April and May 2016 on a proposed method for the relative prioritisation of new investments in specialised services. The consultation guide that it published described the proposed method and the types of data that would be considered. Many detailed submissions were made by respondents to consultation, and they will all be carefully considered. NHS England is expecting to make a decision on the eventual method that will be adopted for 2016/17 in May 2016. The consultation guide can be found at the following address: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/investment-decisions/supporting_documents/consultationguide.pdf